On August 12, 2014, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) accepted the final National Association of Environmental Professionals' (NAEP) Pilot Project Report on Best Practice Principles for Environmental Assessments (hereinafter BPP for EAs) Click HERE to view the report

As a matter of background, the Pilot Project Report was the result of a March 2011 solicitation from the CEQ inviting organizations to nominate pilot projects demonstrating efficient and effective implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that would improve the quality and transparency of agency decision making. In May 2011, Dr. Larry Canter, in coordination with David Keys, CEP and Dr. Robert Senner, prepared and submitted a NEPA Pilot Project application on behalf of the NAEP to develop experience-based Best Practice Principles (BPPs) for preparing effective EAs. The EA BPP proposal (available by clicking HERE) was one of five (5) Pilot Projects selected by CEQ available by clicking HERE.

The team of Dr. Larry Canter, David Keys, Dr. Robert Senner, P. E. Hudson, Ron Deverman, and Paul Looney developed and prepared a knowledge-based survey to 1061 experienced NEPA professionals; 318 experienced NEPA professionals responded to the survey. In May 2012, David Keys, Dr. Robert Senner, and Paul Looney presented the accepted proposal and survey at the NAEP Annual Conference in Portland. On November 19, 2012, Dr. Canter submitted the draft report on BPPs for EAs to the CEQ. At the NAEP 2013 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, Dr. Larry Canter, David Keys and P.E. Hudson presented the initial survey results and data to the membership of the NAEP. This presentation focused on the methodology and results of the survey. The presentation can be viewed by clicking HERE. This early version of the Pilot Project Report was sent to the CEQ in July 2013. (264 pages). The early version of the report can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Starting in August 2013, David Keys transitioned the group to further refine the BPP for EAs Pilot Project Report by incorporating comments received from the CEQ. The NAEP team of Ron Deverman, P.E. Hudson, Karen Johnson, CEP, Ronald Lamb, CEP, Professor Daniel Mandelker, Stephen Pyle, and Dr. Robert Senner prepared a concise guidance document further developing the Priority 1 BPPs. This team, along with Horst Greczmiel, the CEQ’s Associate Director for NEPA Oversight, conducted training on the draft BPPs for EAs at the NAEP 2014 Annual Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.